Richard A. Slaughter

Richard A Slaughter "is Director of Foresight International. During 1999 to 2004 he was Foundation Professor of Foresight at the Australian Foresight Institute, Swinburne University (Melbourne) and a consulting futurist who has worked with a wide range of organisations in many countries and at all educational levels. He completed a PhD in futures studies at the University of Lancaster in 1982. He has since built an international reputation through futures scholarship, educational innovation, strategic and social foresight and the identification of a knowledge base for futures studies. He is a fellow of the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) and a professional member of the World Future Society (WFS). During 2001 - 2005 he was elected President of the WFSF.

"He is a prolific writer and holds several editorial positions. These include: consulting editor to Futures (Oxford, UK), board member of the Journal of Futures Studies (Tamkang University, Taiwan), board member of Foresight (Camford, Cambridge, UK) and series editor of The Knowledge Base of Futures Studies (FI, Brisbane). He is co-author of Education for the 21st Century (Routledge, 1993), author of The Foresight Principle - Cultural Recovery in the 21st Century (Praeger 1995) editor of New Thinking for a New Millennium (Routledge 1996) and co-editor of the World Yearbook of Education 1998: Futures Education (Kogan Page, London 1998). He has also published a series of futures resource books. He has published an edited volume of essays: Futures for the Third Millennium: Enabling the Forward View (Prospect, Sydney, 1999) and a collection of papers by various authors from The ABN Report entitled: Gone Today, Here Tomorrow: Millennium Previews (Prospect, Sydney, 2000). Several of these publications have been revised and re-issued on a series of CD-ROMs, beginning with the Knowledge Base of Futures Studies vols 1-4, Millennium Edition (Foresight International 2001). His latest book is Futures Beyond Dystopia: Creating Social Foresight (Routledge, London, 2004).

"His research interests include: the use of futures concepts and methods in education, business and government; the development of critical futures methodologies; the knowledge base of futures studies and the social implementation of foresight. With the support of the Pratt Foundation he is currently developing a national foresight strategy for Australia. His main aim is to facilitate the emergence of a society and culture that is not merely driven by the past but also responsive to the emerging near-future context. The latter, he believes, is far more challenging than is commonly realised. However, there are many innovative paths out of the trap that humanity has collectively created for itself.

"His most recent projects include the Knowledge Base of Futures Studies: Professional Edition and Towards a Wise Culture: Four 'Classic' Futures Texts, both available from Foresight International on CD-ROM."